KARACHI: Despite claims by the Sindh and city district governments that all basic facilities are being provided to passengers and transporters, intra-city buses and coaches functioning in Karachi are without a proper bus terminal, causing problems for both commuters and transporters, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Around 900 air-conditioned intra-city buses operate in Karachi on a daily basis without proper bus terminals. Sindh Air-Conditioned Bus Owners Association Aftab Ahmed Swati told Pakistan Today that there was no proper bus terminal for intra-city and intra-provincial buses and coaches of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
He said that around 35,000 to 40,000 people belonging to these three provinces traveled by these buses and faced numerous problems at the Cantt and Saddar bus stops. Swati said that both the provincial and city governments did not have any effective transportation policy and transporters were operating on a self-help basis.
He informed Pakistan Today that the Sindh governor had assured transporters that a bus terminal would be constructed in the city but no progress had been made up till now. Swati said that intra-city transporters were ready to construct bus terminals but the concerned authorities were not interested in this regard.
According to Rule 241 and 242 of the Provincial Transport Authority (PTA), a passenger vehicle could not be parked in the city but collect passengers from different areas of the city, he added. Swati also said that the government had constructed Yousaf Goth bus terminal for Balochistan-bound passenger buses but its condition was deteriorating due to apathy of the authorities.
The transporters parked their vehicles at the Taj Medical Complex, Saddar and Cantt stations due to which traffic jams were repeatedly witnessed.
Haji Rab Nawaz of the Haji Muzzaffar Coaches said that Karachi, which contributed around 40 percent of the country’s total revenue, lacked a proper transport system.
“We are providing facilities to commuters at the bus stops while the government has made only hollow promises regarding provision of bus terminals in the city. The Transport sector has been ignored by the governments and the transporters are left at the mercy of the traffic and motorway police”, he added.
